Last night there was a meeting at the building site for the Casa Verde house in the 2100 block of Park Avenue. I met with the Indianapolis Urban Sustainability Meet-Up group set up by the real estate agent of the project, Joe Shoemaker. Joe showed us around the project and explained the details.

This house will look relatively normal from the street. They did this to destroy the myth that “green” has to look weird.

They bought 2 parcels, and applied for 3 building permits so they could add density to the project.

The construction equipment runs on diesel fuel.

This house will be so efficient that the utility costs may add up to $100 a month.

The neighborhood of King Park has been issued 50 building permits by the city. The fourth phase of Fall Creek Place is directly to the north of the house.

Casa Verde is looking to add more affordable options in the area in the near future.

Our city’s zoning laws reward suburban-style developments and discourage density. I already knew this, but it’s depressing to hear it from someone who works on permits. The laws will need to change before we see some real positive developments.

Yes, Parking requirements is one of the major problems. Then there’s the issue of setbacks. Developers have to spend more money to purchase variants to put their project right on the street. Sometimes they don’t bother with the extra cost and front their project with a useless strip of grass or a parking lot. If the city really wants to make money, they could flip that…let people develop right on the street at no extra cost, and charge for when they want to front with a parking lot. But, I live in fantasy la-la land…

Sec. 732-214 gives the large required front setbacks. If Broad Ripple were built today, all of the buildings along Broad Ripple Avenue would have to be setback 70 feet from the street centerline or get a variance.